Comments

Giving up on Gabbert this soon isn't necessarily unprecedented. There's at least one higher draft pick who contributed even less to his team: Andre Ware.

The Heisman "winner" (back when running up stats was an easy way for QBs to win) was selected 7th overall by the Lions, but held out during training camp, never really picked up the offense, and started just one game in 1990. In '91, the Lions picked up Erik Kramer: he and Rodney Peete split the 16 starts and led Detroit to a 12-4 record and their only modern playoff victory, while Ware saw no meaningful action. Ware would start just six games in four seasons in Detroit, spending the rest of his time as the #3 QB behind Peete and Kramer, and when the Lions released him, his career was over.

Although Ware did last four seasons, I'd argue that the Lions gave up on him more quickly than the Jaguars would be giving up on Gabbert. Imagine if McCown had started the bulk of the season this year, and then the Jaguars signing, say, Shaun Hill next season to start ahead of Gabbert. That's more like how Ware's career started.